Broken Jaw Treatment

Many people who have jaw pain will not have a jaw fracture and will be treated with pain medications and instructions to eat a soft diet and to follow up with their doctor.

Those people with fractures require further evaluation. Many fractures of the jawbone are associated with gum problems or tissue damage and should be considered open fractures. They will be treated with antibiotics

and likely will require surgical intervention or wiring teeth together.

Many mandible fractures are stable, and the only treatment required is wiring the upper and lower teeth together. This will most commonly be performed by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon

.

More unstable fractures often require surgery. Surgical methods using plates across the fracture site and screws to attach the plates (or thin perforated bars) to bone may allow some patients to have normal motion of the mandible and to eat shortly after surgery.